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**
Callie stood in the doorway until Jax drove away and his car faded from view. She headed back inside the cottage and locked the door behind her. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she settled on to her love seat and pulled a cashmere throw over her body.
What in the world had just happened?
Why had she felt goosebumps when he had kissed her on the cheek?
Why was she suddenly feeling this groundswell of emotion for Jax?
What was going on with her?
Perhaps she was simply more sensitive these days, having had her life derailed over the past few weeks. Having been lied to by her own parents about Mac allowed her to have more empathy for Jax and his family situation. Suddenly, she was seeing things in him she hadn’t ever seen.
For once she and Jax had shared a sweet, honest moment that resonated deeply with her. He’d shed the sarcasm and shown her his tender side. In talking about his father’s embezzlement scandal he had demonstrated a vulnerability that he rarely displayed. And when he spoke about his mother it had been crystal clear that he ached for her. He’d gotten used to stuffing down his own feelings. It had been obvious during their conversation that he had been seriously affected by his father’s criminal acts.
Callie felt a sense of unease as she reflected on the moment his lips had touched her cheek. For a single instant she had thought he was leaning in for a kiss on the lips. If she was being honest with herself, she had felt a flash of disappointment that the kiss had landed on her cheek. There was no escaping the ramifications of what had just happened. She reached for a pillow and covered her face with it, letting out a mangled scream.
How in the world had this happened? When had she started to have feelings for Jax Holden?
“Loving one another is the only thing that makes sense in this crazy world.”
Callie Duvall
Chapter Three
The next few days flew by, and before Callie knew it, Mac’s trip to Savannah had come to an end. Callie had gotten down on her knees and prayed last night about her feelings of anxiety with regards to Mac heading back to Cape Cod. She knew these strong feelings were all tied up in the past and the way they had been cruelly separated. A part of her felt like she was reliving it all over again with Mac’s departure.
For the past few nights Mac had been staying at the guest house with her instead of at the hotel where he had stayed the first night so he could meet with a distributor in the morning. He didn’t mind sleeping on the sofa, even though she had offered to sleep there so his long legs could lie in a bed. They had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning…talking, laughing, and shedding a tear or two over the lost years. There was no one else on the planet who knew what those early years had been like in their household except for Mac.
Mac—sweetheart that he was—prepared a breakfast feast for them before they headed off to the airport. Omelettes, grits, toast, hash browns and home-made ice coffee. They sat together at her kitchen table, eating in companionable silence and enjoying their last few moments of togetherness. Callie thought about Mac stepping off the plane in Cape Cod and being greeted by Delilah at
the terminal. It made her break into a huge grin.
“What are you grinning about?” Mac asked, a slight smile gracing his own face.
“I was thinking of Delilah being there at the airport when you arrive back home. It makes me smile.” She let out a sigh. “I hope someday to be as in love with someone as the two of you are with each other.”
“That’s my wish for you, kiddo. I know you said you’re not dating anyone at the moment, but remember to keep your heart open to the possibilities.”
“I am open,” she said, detecting a defensive tone in her voice.
Mac held up his hands. “I’m just warning you not to do what I did. For so long I shut myself down and wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of love. I always thought the abuse we suffered made me damaged goods. I couldn’t wrap my head around loving someone or being vulnerable to that extent to another human being.” His expression turned sharp. “I can’t help but think there’s a little part of you that feels that way also.”
Callie swallowed part of her omelette, then washed it down with the iced coffee. No one had ever said anything remotely like this to her, not even Olivia.
Was Mac right? Why hadn’t she ever been in a serious relationship? What was she so afraid of? Her last serious relationship—her only one—had been in college. He had been a sweet Southern boy from North Carolina. Trent Walcott III had treated her with dignity and respect and a wholehearted desire to make her his forever lady. When he had mentioned getting engaged, Callie had bolted from the relationship. It made her blush to remember how she had put up an emotional wall between them. She hadn’t been in love with Trent, nor had she envisioned them walking off into the sunset together, but she should have handled the situation better. She shouldn’t have hurt him.
“I-I suppose you’re right. It’s hard for me to imagine forever with someone.” She shrugged. “They always say when you meet the right person, fireworks go off. That hasn’t happened for me. But I’m still hopeful.” She bowed her head down. “And I want to be open for the possibility of love. I really do.”
“No one deserves it more than you, Callie. You have more love in your heart than anyone I’ve ever known,” Mac said, his voice infused with tenderness. “You always have.”
“That’s rich coming from you, Mac. You saved me in every way possible that a person can save another human being.” She shook her head. “I don’t know many people who would willingly take a beating meant for another person. But you did…more times than I can count.”
Mac’s jaw clenched. “And I’d do again in a heartbeat.”
“I know,” she said in a soft voice. “That’s why you’re my hero, Mac. Forever and always.”
Tears flooded Mac’s eyes. “Now you’ve got me tearing up. And you know how I don’t like to cry. I had to be tough growing up with six brothers.”
